Josie Gibson's rags to riches tale: Presenter reveals she worked as a shoe polisher while living with her single mother and five siblings before finding fame as a 'fluke'

Josie Gibson has opened up on her life before her glitzy TV career as she dubbed her rise to stardom a 'fluke'.

The ITV star, 39, revealed exclusively to MailOnline that she 'didn't have a lot' growing up and worked as a shoe polisher while living with her single mother and five siblings.

She explained that before she became famous after appearing in Big Brother in 2010, she used to earn money by cleaning people's shoes and catching the bus around her local town trying to sell the product.

In a far cry away from her usual glitzy TV appearances, Josie then moved on to grease the inside of washing machine bins in a factory.

Explaining that she has been on 'both ends of the spectrum', Josie told MailOnline: 'So my first ever job was that I used to polish people's shoes and I used to sell this product called Urad.

'And I used to catch the bus to work, and I used to sell it all over at fetes and fairs like local ones.

'Then I worked at Creda in a tumble drying factory. So I used to grease the drum and stick four screws in and then put these wires into the back of somewhere.

'So I worked on a factory line. And then I sold car and home insurance. And then I went worked for Bristol West.

'Then I worked for AXA doing pensions and stuff. So I was in the finance world.

'And then I used to sell foreign currency to companies.

'And now, by fluke, I'm a TV presenter.

'My whole life is a fluke. I've had a brilliant fluke, but that's why I think I appreciate everything so much because I've been on two ends of the spectrum.'

But Josie's fame did not come over night as she explained that to get where she is now she had to 'graft on three to four hours sleep a night'.

She revealed she did not have a lot growing up and that she always remembers her mum, Mandy, for doing her best.

She said: 'Well, we didn't really have a lot because my mum was a single mum. And there's six of us, some of them come later but yeah she just done her best really to try and provide.

'It was fun because we were a very free-spirited family. A very free-spirited family. It was eventful.'

Josie's stepdad delivers horse-drawn coal around her local area and Mandy is well-known for breeding ponies. 

After winning Big Brother more than a decade ago, Josie gave an interview to OK magazine saying she was a 'buffer' - a Travellers word for non-travellers who live on the grid, have their own home and send their children to school.   

Josie, who is a single mother to her son Reggie James Reggie from her relationship with ex-boyfriend Terry, also spoke about her collaboration with FirstBus. 

She has been travelling across Bristol by bus to connect with some of the local heros from her hometown.

For their campaign to get people on the bus and chatting to one another, they found it's the younger generations who are nattering on the bus the most, with half of Gen Z having made friends in this way.

Their survey also found that 82 percent of Brits feel public transport plays an important role in connecting communities.

Speaking about the amazing people in her area, Josie quoted Charlotte Churchill as one of the people who made a lasting impression on her.

She said: 'Charlotte uses FirstBus to deliver all her hampers.

'So in covid, she started making all these beautiful luxury hampers for people that were struggling a bit.

'And now she is doing over thousands of hampers and handing them out all over Christmas.

'And she does it all off her own time. All of her own back. She's amazing.'

Speaking of the campaign, Josie added: 'My time reminiscing on the journeys I used to make when I was younger has been a great reminder of the wonderful way buses offer connection for people. 

'The bus is the unsung hero within our local communities, so I'm not surprised to hear how many people are making long -lasting connections after a brief chinwag to the person sat next to them.'